Kneecap’s Mo Charrra wins.
The terrorism charge against Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was thrown out due to a technical error in the way the charge was brought against him.
“The charge is unlawful and null, and this court has no jurisdiction to try the charge,” said Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring. The ruling was followed by loud cheers from the public gallery.
Judge Paul Goldspring ruled that Ó hAnnaidh was charged after the six-month limit to bring such a charge to the magistrates’ court.
According to the BBC, if May 22 was considered to be the date of the charge, that was six months and a day after the London gig where the offence allegedly happened.
The charge was the result of what Kneecap and their supporters referred to as a witch-hunt following the group’s (now) historic Coachella performances.
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So yeah, British authorities were off by one day thus failing to ask the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in time to charge him.
Jude Bunting KC added: “This case was every bit unjustified as it was flawed.”
Kneecap – following member Mo Chara’s “terror offense,” after British police stated he waved a Hezbollah flag at a concert in November 2024 in London, the group responded saying, “We deny this ‘offense’ and will vehemently defend ourselves.” – have seen a groundswell of support. Numerous artists, including Massive Attack and Fontaines D.C., have applauded their activism, and fans have shown their support at big shows, such as their surprise sold-out gig at the 100 Club in London, ahead of their Wide Awake Festival headline spot, which saw some 25,000 people in attendance.
Ever since Sharon Osbourne called “for the revocation of Kneeecap’s work visa” after the Irish band’s pro-Palestine messaging at Coachella, Kneecap has only grown stronger, both online and in real life. According to fans all over social media, this win is proof of Kneecap’s stance on the right side of history.
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